| Title | : | Ox-Tales: Earth |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1846682584 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781846682582 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 207 |
| Publication | : | First published July 2, 2009 |
The idea behind Ox-Tales is to raise money for Oxfam and along the way to highlight the charity’s work in project areas: agriculture in Earth, water projects in Water, conflict aid in Fire, and climate change in Air.
Ox-Tales: Earth Reviews
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The contributing authors to this Oxfam anthology of short stories seem to have uniformly interpreted its theme, earth, as death. 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...', I suppose, but still it's a striking kind of narrowness of interpretation for a project that seeks to raise money for Oxfam's aid work as it relates to agricultural development. (The other anthologies in this quartet are water, which is self-explanatory in the aid context; fire, assisting in conflict zones; and wind, tackling the effects of climate change in developing countries.) Of course, there's no demand that the authors who wrote pieces especially for this collection should interpret the theme literally, but the prevalence of death over earth does suggest a developed-world distance from the daily practice of nurturing life from land.
This distance of perspective is no more apparent that in Jonathan Buckley's contribution, 'Telescope'. In the first instance, it isn't a short story, but rather an excerpt from a work in progress. This is evident not just in the description to this effect, but in its structure, which lacks the punchline of a short story; that moment of revelation and reflection that can punch a reader in the gut with its insight. More than that though, the piece is premised on the extraordinary conceit of depicting 'an absolute outsider', who is a character isolated by his affliction with some sort of suppurating disfigurement. The excerpt follows the employment of a new home nurse to assist with the central character's daily care. My main complaint here is the apparent need to create a kind of pure outsider in a realist story, as if existing marginalisation is somehow not authentic enough for the author. I think this story could only come from a place of unexamined privilege and so, for me, it was a deeply unethical inclusion.
Thankfully, the other stories were more carefully considered. I enjoyed the irreverence of Ian Rankin's contribution, where his detective, Rebus, solves a murder in one short page, and the alternate realities of Kate Atkinson's 'Lucky we live now' and Hanif Kureishi's 'Long ago yesterday.' The strongest contributions bookend the collection: 'The jester of Astapova' by Rose Tremain about Tolstoy's death and 'The death of Marat' by Nicholas Shakespeare which weaves together the story of Charlotte Corday's assassination of the French revolutionary and a contemporary white African widow who was forcibly evicted from her farm, who has a chance encounter with the corrupt president of her country. This last story, while also about death, resonates with another understanding of earth, this time as home and belonging, which ends the collection in a satisfying way. -
I really enjoyed these short stories & there are some gems in here that really make me want to read more in this genre. Nicholas Shakespeare and Marina Lewycka's tales were particular highlights while a few of the others seemed to end a little weakly (it's a tough genre I suspect). It's a sampling of some contemporary greats too, which serves as a useful introduction but if there's any criticism is that there are no strong overarching theme. Death perhaps - earth to earth? I've not read any of the other collections so its difficult to compare & contemporary fiction is inherently a little morose. Overall a real page turner leaving much to think about.
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I liked the IDEA of the book.. But not the stories. Even though it's a compilation of short stories by different authors, they all lack a descriptive element that gets me lost with every story especially gender-wise; more than once I've had to completely readjust the story in my head because halfway through it's revealed that(for example) the protagonist is a man, not a woman. Which completely killed it for me. Also, a few of the stories were just plain boring. I didn't enjoy this at all
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About what you'd expect from an 207 page book with 10 authors, very short, mediocre stories but they are for a good cause so worth the read.
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"Earth" is part of a series of four books of short story collections, dealing with the themes of Oxfam's aid projects around the world; the focus for "Earth" being agricultural development. This review will make a note on every story on its own, and not focus on Oxfam's great work. Therefore, potential criticism also deals only with the story in question, not with anything else. (Just to make sure no one gets hurt or angry.)
"Earth" by
Vikram Seth
No review for this poem, because I am in love with Vikram Seth's poetry and in no way capable of writing an objective review ;).
"The Jester of Astapovo" by
Rose Tremain
Those who recognize the location will know what this story is about; I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone else.
The story fits quite well with the theme, especially considering the people involved. It manages to build strong characters, and it stayed with me long after I first read it. It's a well-rounded story, coming to an almost inevitable conclusion, without being lecturing or either stretched or packed.
"The Nettle Pit" by
Jonathan Coe
While I don't see much of a connection to agricultural development, I do see a connection to "Earth".
This is a story about two families going away on holiday together, one family envying the other one. I had a deep emotional connection with this story and its main character; I kept wishing it would end differently than how I knew it would have to end.
"Boys in Cars" by
Marti Leimbach
I seriously didn't get it. It doesn't fit with the theme; and while I understood what it could have been about in the end, the story meandered its way through itself and there was no real point to it. Maybe the author thought 'Life is random, so I'll write a totally random story.' or she thought 'I'm writing about an autistic child. People should feel that he's lost while drifitng through the story.' Either way, it doesn't make for great reading, and I couldn't build an emotional connection to either the mum or the boy at all.
"Lucky We Live Now" by
Kate Atkinson
This story about a horrifying, grotesque vision of the future of our planet is certainly the one, that fits the theme the most. It is also very disturbing, and it creates images that might haunt the reader for a long time. The entire dreamlike episode is brilliantly written, and like a dream you just have to dream completely until it's suddenly over, this story captures the reader until it's done. Although it's really weird. To be honest, it reminds me a bit of
Roald Dahl's stories in
Kiss Kiss.
"Fieldwork" by
Ian Rankin
Another story that I didn't get. But here I did "get the point" of the story as such (though I didn't find it remotely funny, in case it was ever meant as being funny, I just don't get what was the point of it being there. Being written. Who wants to read a crime story with an agricultural setting that is just short over 200 words long? I seriously don't get it.
"The Importance of Warm Feet" by
Marina Lewycka
This is a case where I don't understand the connection to the theme, but I liked the story nonetheless.It told all one needed to know, it had a real stoy arch, and the characters were believable. Not tangible, but there were all the details needed to unerstand the emotion behind the story. Nice conclusion, too.
"Long Ago Yesterday" by
Hanif Kureishi
Once again the connection to the theme is not all that clear to me, unless you count the importance of learning from past examples as such. Other than that I really liked this story. I have a thing for tales that have a weird philosophical premise, and this one certainly does. If it wouldn't have such a modern main character, it could well fit into the world of
Franz Kafka (commenting on the feel of the story here, not the interpretation or whatever else). Very entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.
"Telescope" by
Jonathan Buckley
This is an excerpt from Jonathan Buckley's 2011 novel
Telescope. ("Earth" was published two years earlier, in 2009).
Again, only marginally connected to the theme, but at this point I'm really not that bothered anymore. The writing is beautiful, and while I completely missed the plot having a proper ending (or maybe it didn't have one, seeing how it's an excerpt), I love this story. And, naturally, I'll buy the novel. I felt with the main character, who observes everyone around him from a rather distant point of view (even those he doesn't just view through the telescope), and, as I mentioned, I adore the writing. I could have read this for hours on, no mather that there's no point to end it on.
"The Death of Marat" by
Nicholas Shakespeare
While this story illuminates the political problems of what aid organizations and the people in such devastated agricultural countries are up against, I couldn't get myself into the story.
The dreadful situation in the country is thoroughly described, and the main character was decidedly angry, yet I can't tell whether she was truly angry about what was happening to her country, or angry about something else. Plus, it was clear that she never had any ideas of how to change anything on her own, other than than violent anger and a certain type of depression, and naybe that's the real problem. People acting to change things without having a real plan or a proper solution. Hopefully, Oxfam has one, or at leasts acts while keeping the bigger picture in mind.
All in all, a great story collection, if not all that related to the theme. It's impossible to fit everyone's taste with every story, but that is quite a good collection; my personal highlights being "The Jester of Astapovo", "The Nettle Pit", "Lucky We Live Now", and, most of all, "Telescope". -
I bought this because I am a Vikram Seth completist/superfan, and he has a poem in the beginning.
I am not much of a short story fan, although an anthology is better than a collection by a single author (unless that author is Maugham, Wharton, Hardy, et. al). This collection, produced to benefit Oxfam, is probably most notable for containing a story from Kate Atkinson, before Life After Life made her a literary superstar. Otherwise, eh? It was fine. -
The tales were okay. Nothing too special.
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Bit of a curate's egg. The Marti Leimbach and the Jonathan Coe were worth reading. Could take or leave most of the rest. Am not now inspired to try Air, Fire or Water, sadly.
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Ox-Tales Earth is part of a series of money-raising books by Oxfam, filled with short stories from well-known authors. The others in the series are Fire (which I have read), Water, and Air. Each is supposed to focus on a different area of Oxfam's work - Earth being Agricultural Development.
The stories included:
The Jester of Astapovo by Rose Tremain
The Nettle Pit by Jonathan Coe
Boys in Cars by Marti Leimback
Lucky We Live Now by Kate Atkinson
Fieldwork by Ian Rankin
The Importance of Warm Feet by Marina Lewycka
Long Ago Yesterday by Hanif Kureishi
Telescope by Jonathan Buckley
The Death of Marat by Nicholas Shakespeare
As I found with the Fire book, this one contained some short stories that I really didn't connect with. My favourites were Boys in Cars, Lucky We Live Now, and The Death of Marat.
In Boys in Cars, young Alex is autistic, and his mother goes through all the complications behind something so simple as being invited to another boy's birthday party. This was a touching observational piece, and I could really feel Alex's frustration with himself. "I'm a silly boy", he says, but his mother manages to calm him down and they go to the party.
Lucky We Live Now was a strange narrative, following Genevieve as her world falls down around her - literally. Everything turns back into what it was made of, and some strange moths follow her about. There was no real story, but it was an interesting narrative.
The Death of Marat is a story of Dilys, a white fifty-something woman born in Africa. She becomes enamoured with a painting by Munch called The Death of Marat and begins to do some research into the woman who murdered Marat, Charlotte Corday. As she does her research, we learn that the president of the unnamed African country Dilys lives in is a cruel dictator letting thugs destroy homes and snatch land from the whites. As a parallel, Dilys aligns herself with Charlotte Corday, their stories sharing a dictator and an opportunity to "take care of" these powerful men.
It's always quite nice having a book of short stories to read, if I don't feel like a novel. I must say that I didn't enjoy the stories as much as those in the Fire book, but they were still enjoyable. -
The Jester of Astapovo
I had trouble getting into this, but when it got going I really enjoyed it. Nice writing style. =) 3/5
The Nettle Pit
I thought this one was both funny and quite heart-wrenching. I particularly loved the 'competition' between Max & Chris! My favourite bit though, "Daddy, why is the grass green" - and the answer "Well, every night the fairies come out with their paint pots and paint it green" 4/5
Boys in Cars
I really liked this one =) It was both interesting and poignant. I loved it, actually. I thought it was a good, solid story and it had a bit of everything. 4/5
Lucky We Live Now
Oh dear. I had trouble getting into this one, but once I did I laughed so hard! I really enjoyed it! 4/5
Fieldwork
Not long enough! Good but really, really not long enough! 3/5
The Importance of Having Warm Feet
Oh I liked this one <3 I loved the look back, we all have embarrassing moments and I think this was a prime example of one. But I think it was just a lovely story 4/5
Long Ago Yesterday
The story I've least enjoyed so far. It was confusing and, though quite good, I really just didn't enjoy it very much. 3/5
Telescope
Didn't enjoy it. Really didn't enjoy it. Couldn't get into it and the flow wasn't there 2/5
Death of Marat
It's not that this was awful, because it wasn't. It just didn't have a flow to it, it seemed a bit 'meh' and I simply just couldn't get into it 3/5 -
This was a superior offering to Ox-Tales: Air by some way, really hit the spot. As one would hope of course with a stellar line up of authors. Not one of the pieces fell flat and more than one moved me to tears.
A great little Rebus tale in 202 words from Ian Rankin.
Rose Tremain's story of the death of Tolstoy as seen from the life and loves of a Russian stationmaster
Jonathan Coe's story which could have been oh so dull middle class witterings but for the final heartbreaking conclusion
Marina Lewyka's growing up Ukranian mother/daughter story
Kate Atkinson's surreal dystopian animal morality tale
Nicholas Shakespeare's twin threads of a white widow struggling with the ruination of her African home state and the death of Marat
Jonathan Buckley's eerie novel excerpt (must find out if he finished and published it)
Hanif Kureshi's surreal father/son encounter
Marti Leimbach's Boys in Cars tearjerker
Not sure the Earth theme was very explicit, except in Vikram Seth's beautiful opening poem - perhaps this summary shows it is more about genetic roots. -
An excellent collection of eight short stories and one extract from a novel in progress by British authors. As you would expect from an accomplished short story writer, Rose Tremain's 'The Jester of Astapovo' captures a historical moment with vividness and immediacy. Marina Lewycka's 'The Importance of Warm Feet' is also memorable, especially as I had previously only read her novels.
But for me the bonus of this collection was Jonathan Buckley's 'Telescope', which is the extract from a novel in progress. This is a new author for me and I shall be looking out his novels as the extract was engagingly written and intriguing, although I am unsure how the interest can be sustained over a novel.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of this book, and the three other in the series (Fire, Water and Air), raises money for Oxfam. -
Nice little short story collection, subtitled 'Original stories from remarkable writers'. This is the first in a series of four books published in support of Oxfam - all royalties go to them. The series is themed on the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. On the basis of this first volume, I think I will be seeking out the other three. The stories are of a consistenty high standard and there's the pleasure of the variety of strong styles and voices - each volume has at least 2 or 3 very big names everyone will recognise. Plus, the physical book, at around an inch shorter than a standard paperback, is a great size for popping in your pocket and dipping into on the bus, during your lunch hour, wherever.
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Found this book along with it's 3 companion volumes in that great indie bookstore, Book Revue in Huntington, NY. (
http://www.bookrevue.com). Great collection of stories although I wasn't too clear as to how some of them were tied to the theme of "the earth".
Anyway, the proceeds from the sale of these books were supposed to go to Oxfam but considering I bought them on remainder, the only organization benefiting from their sale would be Book Revue (which isn't so bad a thing either). I'm sure that the best way to contribute to Oxfam would be thru their website:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk or
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/r -
Another great book from the Oxfam series. This is a slender volume of short stories by established authors including Rose Tremaine and Ian Rankin. The latter's contribution was a bit cheeky as he used a 200 word story that he had first written for a festival at Hay-on-Wye. This was made up for by longer stories written by other authors and written especially for this publication. I think my favourite story in this collection was "Marat" by Nick Shakespeare, in which the infamous French Revolutionary is compared with the despotic President of a present day East African country. ( we are not told which one but I think we can make a good guess.)
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I think I like the design of this short story collection better than anything else about it, even the
Kate Atkinson story (which was good but not close to her best). The tales themselves were a mixture, some good, some bad, with no real standouts. I still want the other books in this series, though. THEY ARE JUST SO PRETTY. -
Good little selection, with subtle relevance to the theme. A nice way to dip into short fiction by people I haven't read before, as well as those I have.
I particular enjoyed the Coe and Leimbach pieces, but my favourite was the Kate Atkinson, I thought I had her measure but she really surprised me with this and I loved it! -
Collection of short stories by good authors. I've heard it said that writing short stories requires more skill than lengthy novels. I certainly enjoyed these more than some novels I have read. Great summer reading.
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Interesting collection of short stories or extracts from WiP's - some from writers I know and love (Kate Atkinson, Rose Tremain) and a good introduction to others I have heard of but not yet got around to reading.
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My favourite story was 'Boys in Cars' by Martin Leimbach it had a really lovely insight and feel to it and I loved both characters. Ian Rankin's 200 word story was also pretty impressive and funny! A nice chance to find new writers.
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I happened upon this story collection by accident. It's one of four written to benefit Oxfam. "Earth" has stories by Jonathan Coe, Kate Atkinson, Ian Rankin, and Marina Lewycka, among others. Recommended.
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Some good stories. very pocketable :-)
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Quality was a bit mixed but there are some great stories in here- particularly those by Kate Atkinson and Rose Tremain.
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I really like short stories and this is a good collection for Oxfam, I definitely want to read the rest of the series too.
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Good little collection of short stories that was written in support of Oxfam.
There was the odd duff one, but I did like Fieldwork by Ian Rankin and Telescope by Jonathan Buckley -
To be fair, I'm not really a fan of short stories & these are a good example of why....most of the time I didn't know what the hell was going on!
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The Atkinson, Rankin, and Lewycka are recommended. The Leimbach is terrible and quite upsetting if you know anything about ASD.
